Three Little Words
by Quallianmaghouin
Summary: A box full of photographs plots the evoloution of a romance. (PeteySunshine Slash)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: The Titan's are owned by themselves and whichever deities they believe in. The Disney version of the Titans belongs to Disney. The warped slashy Titans who'd rather brood then play football belong to me.

Warning: Petey and Sunshine. Together. In a relationship. Please don't make me get any more specific. 

Ratings: PG-13 I would guess. Maybe a mild R. Kissing and Cuddling is about all they do. (Though more is implied. They are in a relationship after all) On a related note, if you wish to leave hate mail, that's cool, but at least give me your email so I can respond personally. (No worries, I'm always polite. I just like a more one-on-one chat instead of a hit-and-run attack.)

Notes: This will be a series of "whenever I feel like updating" snippets (well after the first few chapters anyway.). Very convenient in the fact that since there's no definite end, I can end it whenever I get bored. Go me. I also decided to post it as soon as I did the no-errors check so that I didn't re-write it into oblivion. Sorry it's not flowery poetry.

This can be read in conjunction with Roses and Remembrances . If you don't want to read it here's the important bits. Petey (law student) and Sunshine (acting student) are sharing a studio apartment while in college at the time of this series. No fear, most of the story though will be flashbacks to the football days.

Summary: "Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, Sometimes it's only worth three." A box full of photos shows the progression of a relationship. 

Three Little Words 

****

BZZZZZZZZZZ. 

Petey became aware of the doorbell. It was impossible to ignore now that he was awake. Though it seemed his lover was more than willing to try. Sunshine growled and burrowed further under the warm blankets, never completely waking up. 

He had learned that it was always best to let Sunshine wake up when Sunshine felt like waking up. He was without a doubt the most kind, compassionate, loving man Petey had ever known, but he was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a morning person.

The only acceptable reasons for trying to rouse the other man were, to Petey's knowledge, the irregular fire drills the land lord insisted on holding, and pre-early-class sex. Anything else, in Sunshine's opinion could wait till a less ungodly hour.

BZZZZZ.

BZZZZZ.

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

"Coming!" Petey disentangled himself from the bed sheets, pressing a kiss to his lover's momentarily bared shoulder, before climbing over him and out of the bed.

He grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the floor, yanking them on before heading towards the door. He glanced in the mirror. Tired, but presentable. No shirt within reach, and he doubted a wrinkled shirt would help his appearance in any case. He just hoped it was no one important.

He reached for the handle just as the doorbell sounded again. 

The woman, dressed in a brown UPS uniform, jumped slightly as he opened the door, perhaps a little more forcefully than he intended. He gave her a guilty smile.

"Can I help you?"

"That depends. Are you Mr.-" She consulted her clipboard. "Ronald Bass?"

"Yes." Lying was a sin, but waking Sunshine up to sign for a package was an unforgivable one. 

"Oh good then. Sign here please." He did as he was told, and took the box from her, thanking her as he shut the door.

Petey walked to the kitchen, or rather the wall of cabinetry and kitchen appliances that had been generously called a "kitchenette" in the apartment brochure.

He started a pot of coffee, and pulled a slice of leftover pizza from the refrigerator before sitting down to examine the package. 

It was slightly smaller than a shoebox, and not very heavy. The name, written in a precise, tiny script seemed vaugley familiar.

"Jenny Rayken

Tinninsburg, VA"

Tinninsburg. That wasn't at all familiar.

He resisted the urge to open the package. He was sure Sunshine wouldn't mind, but there was something almost enjoyable about puzzling over the box's content.

"Petey?" Sunshine had woken up enough to lean sprawled against the headboard, head tilted back into the shaft of midmorning sunlight. The blankets were still pulled stubbornly to his chest. 

No matter how long he stayed in Virginia, Ron never became accustomed to cold winters. Add to that a faulty heating system in the apartment and it was not unsurprising that he made frequent use of his collection of blankets, sweaters, and warm and obliging boyfriend.

"Bed? Now?" Sunshine cracked open one eye, sending Petey a sleepy, yet seductive smile. 

The coffee pot, as if on cue, dinged to let him know it was finished. Fixing two cups he took them back over to the "bedroom" side of their one room apartment. He found a clear spot on the normally cluttered desk and set the cups down. 

He turned to retrieve the package, but Sunshine grabbed his wrist, pulling him down for a proper good morning kiss. His lover pulled him back into the bed, fingers playing with the drawstring on Petey's sweat pants. 

"It can wait."

It could most defiantly, in Petey's opinion, wait.

*****

Part two may be delayed slightly. Right now I'm working very hard on a paper. (Funerary customs in different cultures. Which is going to end up clocking in at around 20 pages. Lucky me) And I thought I would have some boring classes in which to write. No such luck. I am writing though! 

Thanks for all the feedback, and for those wondering why in the world I chose Petey/Sunshine all shall be explained, even if I have to start scheduling fic writing time. (To one reviewer in particular: Petey's not homophobic: he was just a little…nervous. Okay he was an idiot, but he made great progress. Hell half the Petey/sunshine interaction in the movie had them acting like a new couple, insecurities and all.)


	2. Part Two

The next time Petey woke up, it was to an empty bed. Sunshine was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, bare feet shoved under the edge of the blanket that was halfway off of the mattress. The package had been ripped open and a handful of pictures were spread out in a haphazard semicircle around him. More were still neatly stacked in the box

As Petey crawled to the end of the bed Sunshine tilted his head back, flashing an upside down smile at his lover. Petey kissed him briefly and then propped himself up on his elbows, resting his head on Sunshine's shoulder.

"Football pictures?" He studied the picture in Sunshine's hand. It was a large, black and white print. The official team photo. Someone had gone back with a red pen, writing the names of the players in small precise letters on their jerseys, or beside their heads. The notes in the margins of the photo made it obvious that a member of a yearbook staff had once used it.

"Where did you manage to get this?" All of the uniforms were so clean, blindingly white. All of the players looked sharp. Petey grimaced. He remembered Boone ordering them to get their hair cut. They had to wear ties that day. Even Sunshine wore a tie. Coach had had to threaten to staple it to his throat though. Petey leaned over Sunshine to trace his finger over the face of the Sunshine in the photograph. A lock of long blonde hair had fallen into his eyes and his mouth quirked up into a slight smile. Sunshine had managed to weasel himself out of a haircut that time.

"Jenny sent them. You remember her. She was one of the photographers for the school newspaper."

A face flashed into Petey's mind. A small heart shaped face, framed in curly brown hair, glasses perched on the edge of her nose. She took pictures of everything.

"She called recently, asking if we wanted any pictures. She said she was spring cleaning and needed to get rid of a few of them." Sunshine waved his hand at the pile, "and these are just the ones we're in!"

"We're in all of these?" Petey knew how much Sunshine regretted the loss of the one photo album they had managed to scrape together. There hadn't been many photos in it. Their last road trip, their first apartment. The Jones family reunion. It had been lost in their last move, tucked away in a box full of records.

Sunshine put down the team photo and picked up the one lying closest to him, passing it up to Petey. "Yep."

Petey grabbed a pillow from the floor and made himself more comfortable, taking the picture. "Well it's a good thing we didn't have any plans for the day."


	3. Acting Petey

Okay, I fired off that last chapter quickly (to make up for the year I abandoned it. D'oh!) So now I get to the fun bits. Teensy Tinsey Explanation. The rest isn't a story per-se, just a collection of mental photographs and a trip into the head of whichever character suits my fancy. Flashbacks, conversations. It's a grab bag really. Descriptions and flashbacks are usually in italics. If you get confused the POV will be in the chapter title. Warning, this could range from half a dozen, to a hundred or more (Don't think a photographer would take that many? Hah!) and to make it more confusing they'll skip back and forth in time. It really just depends on my muse. I'll post the ending in a year or so. (Don't look at me like that! You don't need it anyway) okay, sorry, on with the…thingy

_Sunshine was standing on a bench, striking a dramatic pose. Petey was sitting on the bench, looking up at the blonde with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Gerry and Ju were smiling, arms crossed and Alan had been caught, mouth permanently frozen in a wide, open-mouthed laugh. Rev was shaking his head; a smile fighting it's way to the surface. _

Sunshine had been putting on another act of what the team referred to as "Sunshine Theatre". Just out of the blue, at any moment Sunshine would launch into a soliloquy, or a scrap of a scene. That was the thing about Sunshine. He could spout out monologues at the drop of a hat. It was what made him such a good actor.

Petey remembered that day:

_The small group was walking slowly, aimlessly. Classes were over, but they didn't want to go home just yet. The conversation had turned to football, which had led to Coach Boone. Louie was in charge of the camera. It was some project. A documentary or something. 'The life of a Titan'_

_Petey sat down on the bench and stretched his legs._

"_Do his speeches have to be so dramatic? He makes it sound as if he's sending us off to war." _

_Petey saw the glint in Sunshine's eyes but was too late to stop him. Sunshine jumped up on top of the bench, using Petey's shoulder to steady himself. _

"_From this day to the ending of the world, _

_But we in it shall be remembered- _

_We few, we happy few," _

_Sunshine paused dramatically, staring at the small circle of teammates. A few students had stopped to stare, keeping their distance. Petey rolled his eyes. _

"_We band of brothers; _

_For he to day that sheds his blood with m-"_

_Sunshine was cut off with a startled 'oomph!' as Petey swept his feet out from under him, toppling him over onto the grass. The group straightened, smiles disappearing as Coach Boone came out of the school. They tried to look innocent. Boone looked unconvinced, but_ _just shook his head and kept heading towards the car._

_The group split up soon after, but Sunshine stayed, sprawled in a patch of sunlight in the grass. Petey flopped down beside him,_

"_I want to act Petey"_

"_The drama club's having auditions next-"_

"_No, I want to act. For a living."_

"_There's no money in that Sun."_

"_Well then, you'll just have to earn enough for both of us."_

_Petey's breath caught in his throat._

That had been the first time that they had started to see themselves as an "us". They had been together for a while, but had avoided talking about their plans for after high school. Petey had been surprised, and a little scared. He hadn't known if he was ready to be an "us".

Looking back now, remembering the warmth of that day, and the closeness of the blonde who had stolen his heart, he knew that that was the exact moment he had realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sunshine, acting and all.


	4. Handhold Sunshine

_The next picture was taken at an angle, as if the photographer had tried to snap the photograph quickly, not wanting to intrude on a private scene. And it had been private, Sunshine reflected. Out there in the middle of the hall, surrounded by people, it had still felt as if they were the only two people in the world._

_They were hanging a banner, Sunshine balancing on stepladder, his head cut off by the awkwardness of the framing. Petey was there, or at least, his shoulder and arm. It hadn't been a very good shot. But the camera seemed to naturally focus on Petey's hands, centered perfectly as they gripped Sunshine's hips. _

Sunshine yelped as the rickety stepladder wobbled under him, and scrabbled for a handhold. A hand reached out to steady him, but ended up simply making him jump in surprise, which cause the ladder to wobble more.

"Whoah! Watch it!" Another shot out, trying to keep him on the ladder. Sunshine sighed in relief as the ladder steadied and grinned down at the familiar voice. "Thanks Petey."

"No problem. Coach Boone would kill you if you broke your neck hanging up a sign."

Sunshine snorted, waving towards the sign, proclaiming the Titan's upcoming victory. "He's the one who told me to hang it." The blond grinned again, looking down at the dark hands on his hips.

"You're still holding on."

Petey looked embarrassed and snatched his hands away. Sunshine snickered, and leaned up to fasten the edge of the banner. He knocked against the top step, purposely making the ladder wobble again. Petey's hands shot out to grab his hips for a second time.

"Will you be careful!"

"Sorry."

Sunshine kept his promise, and the ladder stayed steady. Petey waited for a moment before releasing the blond, sliding one hand to the small of his back, keeping hold of the other teenager, just in case.


End file.
